Fox news host Shepard Smith wasn't happy with the fact that there wasn't someone ready to counter the comments of Chris Christie and apologized for the 'Lack of Balance' In their New Jersey Governor's Race Story. Have a look:Maybe he should talk to their host who got offended when Congressman Andrews asked for some fair and balanced reporting the other day.
Congressman Andrews appeared on Fox News to discuss the healthcare bill in Congress. As the conversation devolved, the Congressman gave tthis response:
"Could we have just a minute of fair and balanced just as an exception here?"
Well that line didn't sit well with the host, Gregg Jarrett. Here's the video of the exchange:
I've asked a few times in posts about the impact that the pending Senate President contest between Sweeney and Codey will have on the race. Congressman Rob Andrews was asked the other day at the press conference for the Port of Paulsboro and he had this to say:
Regarding the intra-party Trenton scuff-up between Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) and Andrews's South Jersey colleague, Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney and the possibility of that spat spilling with negative consequences into the gubernatorial contest, Andrews said, "That doesn't affect the governor's race at all. There are about 100 people engaged in that fight and they are all capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time."
I hope the Congressman is right, because sometimes it feels like they are having trouble just handling one or the other, not both at the same time.
MSNBC's first read had this exchange with Congressman Andrews trying to get some details about how co-ops would work if they were in place of the public option with healthcare reform:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in her opening remarks, vowed that health reform would provide choices and noted, "I believe a public option is the best way to do that."
Others pressed further, trying to take down the proposed alternatives.
Democrat Rob Andrews (D-NJ) prodded Yale professor Jacob Hacker, a proponent of reform, on ways in which co-ops would not be effective.
Hacker said it's difficult to create a large enough provider network with co-ops and declared they have "little chance of success." He said the public option is better because there's a "presumption of participation." In other words, there would likely be more people who participate; it would guarantee a larger pool.
But Baucus, in what appears to be a doomed attempt to achieve bipartisanship, favors a system of regional, consumer-run insurance cooperatives over a public option.
Health care co-ops have been tried, and most have failed. And it's doubtful any could recruit enough members to compete aggressively with the insurance companies in negotiating cost savings with pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and physician groups. Only a single public option would have that clout.
Representative Rob Andrews, D - 1st Dist, of Haddon Heights, will be bringing the heated debate on health care reform to the Gloucester County Times' own round table Citizens Forum on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 12:30 p.m. and South Jersey Online will be broadcasting the event live, as it happens.
In real-time, our readers will be able to communicate online with other residents as the congressman addresses a dozen representatives from the county - real people with varying opinions - about their concerns.
We'll have live video and a chat room up and running during the event, so be sure to join us and check out this exclusive one-on-one between Andrews and the residents of Gloucester County. Readers from anywhere and everywhere are encouraged to join us online for live talk and real-time feedback.
Please note: This is a closed session meeting. The public is welcome and encouraged to join us online and submit their questions for discussion and presentation, but a physical presence at the meeting is impossible in the space available. Members of the community will not be able to participate in person at this event and will be turned away.
If you want to see what the Congressman has to say, you can watch live now and then submit a question, to follow along at 12:30.
One of the best things about spending the last four years following politicians around with a video camera is the tons of file footage I've acquired. It's an especially useful tool for expressing one's self when words are hard to find. Like now.
Location: Rowan University - Wilson Hall, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028
(Wilson Hall is located off of Bowe Blvd. across from Glassboro High School)
I think it will be well attended. Yesterday I was in Mullica Hill -- close to Glassboro -- and some old man was waving a "Stop Obama Care" sign to passing motorists.
Jack Rice conducted an interview with Congressman Andrews where they talked about the healthcare debate going on in Congress. Towards the end however, they also talked about corruption in NJ politics and the Congressman had this take:
Without being too much of a political scientist, here's why NJ is different. First of all there are too many tiny little governments that have alot of power. You might have a town like Hoboken that is a square mile, but there are billions of dollars of investment, zoning permits and things like that. So you have alot of power at these tiny levels of government. Second thing is that there's not alot of political competition in alot of these places. If you win the Democratic nomination, or the Republican nomination, you win. We have a state that is divided county by county, town by town on partisanship. And then the 3rd reason is because we're sandwiched in between the Philadelphia and New York media markets, there's not the same journalistic watch dog presence that exists in other states. In NJ, politics can operate under the radar screen and unfortunately too often it does. And you get embarrassments like this, you get disgraces like this.
Here is the complete interview for you to listen. They talk about the Senate Finance committee and the public option, the Blue Dog Dog Democrats and more:
As members of Congress headed home for break, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed out their version of the healthcare bill. They wanted to arm members of Congress with the facts, so they put out district by district breakdowns:
The Committee has prepared, for each member, a district-level analysis of the impact of the legislation. This analysis includes information on the impact of the legislation on small businesses, seniors in Medicare, health care providers, and the uninsured. It also includes an estimate of the impacts of the surtax that is used to pay for the legislation.
America's Affordable Health Choices Act would provide significant benefits in the 7th Congressional District of New Jersey: up to 18,200 small businesses could receive tax credits to provide coverage to their employees; 8,100 seniors would avoid the donut hole in Medicare Part D; 800 families could escape bankruptcy each year due to unaffordable health care costs; health care providers would receive payment for $30 million in uncompensated care each year; and 21,000 uninsured individuals would gain access to high-quality, affordable health insurance.
You can see the benefits by district for each member of Congress:
You can see the full bill text and a summary put out by the committee as well. If you support this bill, your member of Congress needs to know about it. If you call, get your member of Congress to take the pledge. Our representatives are being inundated with phone calls and emails opposing healthcare. We need people who support the healthcare overhaul to start putting some action behind the talk, otherwise we'll be counting the time until the next chance to do something about healthcare.
A new obstacle emerged yesterday in the epic battle over whether to dredge the Delaware River shipping channel, deepening it to 45 feet from 40, even as the project seems about to begin.
Delaware environmental officials denied a permit the Army Corps of Engineers was seeking. It had applied for permission in 2001.
With the news that Delaware is planning to fight, Congressman Andrews said it's time for the NJDEP to step up as they try to slow federal funds. Here is the video:
Congressman Andrews joined Nicole Sandler to talk about healthcare on Air America Radio. She got a bit of a shock before the interview, which shaped the discussion that ensued. From her post previewing the interview with the Congressman:
I had him scheduled for an interview, and he called in for the taping at the tail end of a long-drawn out phone call with my daughter's (now former) health insurance company, during which I was informed that her policy had been canceled in December!
As I told you, I got a bit emotional while explaining what happened to him, but decided to leave the interview as it happened because it's real. What happened to us is happening to families all over the country, and it must stop.
We're hearing real, human stories like this... and we need to keep hearing them to put faces to the problems inherent in the sham of a system we have today, in order to effect the change we need!
I went through the FEC filings to see how our House members are fairing with their fundraising efforts. First here are some observations
Congressman Adler raised the most money in the 2nd quarter with over $518K, followed by Congressman Pallone and then Garrett.
Congressman Pallone has the most Cash on Hand by far and away with over $3.7 million. He has twice as much as the next member, Congressman Rothman who is followed by Pascrell and then Lobiondo.
Congressman Adler raised the most form individuals at over $267K, followed by Pallone, Garrett and then Rothman.
Congressman Adler raised the most from PAC's at over 250K, followed by Pallone, Lance and Frelinghuysen.
The members of the NJ delegation that raised more from PAC's than individuals were Congressmen Andrews, Payne, LoBiondo, Frelinghuysen, Pallone and Lance.
Up top again, for the night ... so you can see the action project we're launching. Next up, Rep. John Adler, after a news cycle dominated by President Barack Obama (yeah, I love saying that). Stay tuned.- - Rosi
Over the weekend, I posted a diary that outlines an initiative we are undertaking here at Blue Jersey with respect to the upcoming health care legislation as it relates to the public option. While most of the NJ Congressional delegation supports a public option, only Rush Holt and Donald Payne have committed to NOT SUPPORT a bill that did not have a public option.
And, as I said in that diary, as well as on Blue Jersey Radio last night, that is why we here at Blue Jersey are going to ask you - the Blue Jersey community - to help whip our fine Representatives into shape.
We will be focusing on each of the six other NJ House Democrats and then probably the three republicans (LoBiondo, Lance, Smith), and will go in order of District, which brings us to Rep. Rob Andrews (NJ-1). We are also coordinating this effort with DFA-NJ, and with your participation, this could be a great way to show how the progressive community in NJ can work together to accomplish great things.
Before I get into it though, I have two requests/rules - please please follow them, as they are not difficult at all:
When you call the Congressman?s (and eventually Senator's) office, please be very respectful. You will likely be talking to a staffer, and they will hopefully be getting a lot of calls about this issue, so we want to make sure that we are productive. If you can get a name, that would be excellent too, so we can compile everything.
Just as important, please keep the topic of the call to the public option and trying to get a pledge that the Representative will vote against a bill without a public option. I know that many people (myself included) feel that single payer is the best answer, however, President Obama does not want single payer now, nor does the current House bill contain anything regarding single payer. The Senate bill will most likely be more watered down, and any discussion on single payer, while noble, will only distract from the issue at hand, and will tie up Congressional staffers from receiving other calls regarding this initiative.
What we need you to do
Rep. Andrews' contact information is below:
DC Phone: 202-225-6501
DC Fax: 202-225-6583
Please call his office and most importantly, thank him for the work he and his committee has done in order to bring a strong health care bill to the House floor, as well as his support for a strong public option (if you want to thank him for his support of single payer, that's great too, but not the major purpose here). Secondly, we want to try and get his staff (or him) on record to not just support a public option in its current form, but to vote against a watered down bill that may ultimately be produced in reconciliation that will either (1) not include a strong public option or (2) will include a "trigger". A "strong public option" includes the following:
available nationwide;
on day one
and accountable to Congress and the voters
Please report your findings in the comments section below. Additionally, FireDogLake has a "whip tool" that you can fill out with the applicable information, if you are able to get anything definitive (either good, bad or neutral).
Thanks so much and we really appreciate your help and participation. I am sure the hundreds of thousands of uninsured and underinsured New Jerseyans thank you even more.
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Our next diary will focus on Freshman Representative John Adler (NJ-3).
Most of the talk surrounding what to do about Don't ask, don't tell has centered around what the Obama White House hasn't done. The fact is, Congress hasn't taken action either to fix the problem either, but Congressman Pat Murphy is being joined by Congressmen Holt, Andrews and Pallone to change that. Their bill would repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell:
H.R.1283 Title: To amend title 10, United States Code, to enhance the readiness of the Armed Forces by replacing the current policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces, referred to as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Congressman Holt had hoped in May that the bill would move to the House floor by the 4th holiday. They have 152 co-sponsors of the legislation. He also said that there are members who have said they will vote for the legislation, but can't co-sponsor it. Congressman Murphy talked about the need for the legislation and the change in the law:He said we have let go of over 13,000 troops because of DADT. He said an Act of Congress put the bill into law, and it will be Congress's job to fix that mistake. This is how Congressman Murphy put it during the interview and I don't know that there is much more that I can add:
It's doesn't matter if you're in conservative district or a liberal district, if you're an American you should believe in equality. You should believe in that oath that we all take as an army officer, that we take as a Congressman to support and defend the constitution of the United States. And that constitution guarantees equality for everybody. When you're in Baghdad in 138 degree heat, like I was exactly 6 years ago, when you're that guy to the left or your right or that young woman to your left or your right, the fact is you don't care what their sexual orientation is, you don't care what their race is, what their religion is, their creed is. You care if they can fire an M4 assault rifle, whether they can kick down a door. That's what this is about.
A South Jersey congressman says civilian employees must get paid the same for doing the same work regardless of where they're located on the new "mega" military base.
But Rep. John H. Adler said that's not the case for about 2,600 engineers, firefighters, mechanics and other employees at Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base, who get paid less than their counterparts at the Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst because of differing pay scales.
The three installations are being fused into a joint base and are scheduled to be under the Air Force's control by Oct. 1.
There is bi-partisan co-sponsorship behind an effort to change that with New Jersey Congressmen including Democrats Adler, Rob Andrews and Rush Holt joining Republicans Chris Smith and Frank LoBiondo. The bill would ensure pay parity for Federal Employees Serving at Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst::
The bipartisan legislation consolidates the Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst as one joint installation into Ocean County, which is located in the higher (New York) cost area. The legislation will ensure that:
No civilian employees lose pay due to the consolidation.
All civilian employees are paid equally for jobs performed regardless of where they work on the Joint Base.
The Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst offers competitive wages for displaced civilian employees at Fort Monmouth, NJ.
In introducing the legislation, Congressman Adler released a report showing the need for the change and the unique situation the base presents:
The new Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst (JB-MDL) is one of 12 joint bases, and is unique in a couple of ways.
1. It is the only tri-service installation, combining major Air Force, Army, and Navy installations into one Joint Base. The new joint base includes the former McGuire AFB, Fort Dix, and Lakehurst NAES.
2. It is the only joint base that crosses over two separate locality pay1 areas affecting civilian employee2 pay. The former McGuire AFB (Air Force) and Fort Dix (Army) are located in Burlington County, which is in the Philadelphia pay area (21.25% locality pay) and the former Lakehurst NAES (Navy) is located in Ocean County, which is in the higher New York pay area (27.96% locality pay).
You can view the whole report here. The Joint Base meets the criteria for placement into the higher locality pay area of Ocean County, but that process would take years to complete. They are combining the bases in October, so unless the change is made before then, Lakehurst employees will make nearly $3,000 more than their counterparts at Mcguire and Ft Dix.
Congressman Andrews sent out his Weekly email update this past Friday and it had a story about a hearing he convened in his role as chairman of the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee to examine the option of a single payer health care system. Rep. Andrews invited experts to help shed light on the pros and cons of a single payer system. From the Congressman's opening statement:
This morning, for our subcommittee, will mark an important milestone in the debate in one of the more broadly supported and interesting solutions to the problem will be considered by the subcommittee in the form of a legislation proposed by the very distinguished Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Conyers. He will be our first witness this- you may applaud if you'd like- he will be our first witness this morning and will summarize and advocate for his legislation as I'm sure he will do forcefully and articulately. We will then proceed to a panel, of what you might call 'lay witnesses.' John, I guess that implies that you're a holy person but we'll proceed to a panel of lay witnesses and one thing I would ask our colleagues to consider, out of courtesy to the lay witnesses, is that once Mr. Conyers, Chairman Conyers, has concluded his statement, those who would like to ask him questions, obviously under the rules are permitted to do so, I'm not going to avail myself of that opportunity and believe that Mr. Kline either and we urge Members to consider not questioning Mr. Conyers, not because he's beyond being questioned but because the lay witnesses have traveled from far and wide to be here today; we'd like them to have maximum opportunity to interact with the panel so we can hear their views as well. So Mr. Conyers has proposed a solution to this problem. He argues it with great passion. It is a solution that, unlike some in the Senate, I believe belongs on the table for consideration and for vigorous and fair consideration; that is what the purpose of this hearing is this morning.
Even if they don't go with a single payer option, it makes no sense to have a debate and not consider all the potential solutions available. If other solutions are better, at least they stood up to the competition of ideas. Good on Congressman Andrews for at least recognizing that. Along with Congressman Pallone, who defended the public option yesterday and Senator Menendez, who will be talking about why a public option would increase competition and drive down premiums today, New Jersey will have an active role in this policy debate.
Congressman Pallone appeared on Fox News this afternoon to talk about the current healthcare debate going on in Washington. Talking about a public option, he said he thinks the public plan will be similar to medicare and that people will have a choice. If they like their current plan, they can keep it. The main thing he says is that everyone will have insurance. For people that don't have insurance, almost any option is better than what they have the Congressman said. You can see the whole interview here:New Jersey will have a unique role shaping the healthcare debate as Congressmen Pallone and Andrews will very involved in the process. Congressman Andrews is actually holding a town hall meeting tomorrow morning in South Jersey on how to improve our nation's health care system. I have a separate post coming on a hearing he chaired last week talking about the need to keep a single payer option on the table as well.
Congressman Andrews was among a handful of Legislators who was asked to join President Obama in the White House Rose Garden for the signing ceremony of the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009. Just how bad is the system they are trying to reform with this legislation:
The Government Accountability Office estimated nearly 70 percent of the Pentagon's 96 biggest weapons programs were over budget in 2008.
The legislation would create a Pentagon office responsible for estimating the cost of new programs and led by a director who reports to the defense secretary.
It would also put a bigger focus on testing new weapons before they enter production to ensure technologies were sufficiently developed, and would give military commanders a bigger say in framing requirements for any new weapons.
The President praised Congressman Andrews for his work on the measure:
"I applaud Chairman Skelton, Ranking Member McHugh and Rep. Conaway for their leadership on this bill. Likewise, Chairman Levin and Ranking Member McCain should be praised for their vision and leadership on this landmark legislation, which will reform Defense spending and limit Pentagon cost overruns before they spiral out of control."Rep. Rob Andrews said following the adoption of the conference report. "The bill's overwhelming bipartisan support is living proof not only that our legislative process still works but that the well-being of our men and women in uniform must be a priority."
It sounds like pretty logical legislation, which passed both the House and Senate unanimously. But there have been some that question whether the legislation does enough while offering their praise. The site Defensenews.com has a piece titled "Watered-Down Reform" that offers their breakdown of the bill shortcomings:
Overall, the reforms won applause from John Douglass, a former Navy acquisition chief who also served as president of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA).
Douglass said the law will implement "things that DoD should already be doing." But he added, "It's all about management. You can have all the safety rules you want, but if you don't follow them, bad things will happen."
But one Senate aide involved in the effort said the legislation merely "moves around the deck chairs, but doesn't get at the substantive problems."
I'm hoping this at least moves the process forward, but it's clear there will still need to be more work done to reform the process. It's good to see Congressman Andrews so involved in making those changes.
Governor Jon Corzine is set to undertake the historic task of selecting an individual to run as the Democratic candidate to become the first Lieutenant Governor in New Jersey history.
On Monday, we looked at the potential Republican picks for Lieutenant Governor. Today, below the fold is a diverse list of ten possible Democratic contenders. It is subjective and, more than anything, written to solicit the opinions of Blue Jersey readers on the strengths and weaknesses of each potential pick.
Standing in front of his Haddon Heights home at 11am this morning, and surrounded by what he admitted was a hastily-assembled group of supporters, Rob Andrews announced he will give up his seat in Congress representing NJ's 1st Congressional District, and challenge Jon Corzine for his party's nomination for Governor.
From his statement:
I did not intend, or plan, to challenge my Governor in the primary process. I do so with regret, and respect. But New Jersey needs fresh stewardship, and new ideas. I have decided that I will place my name and my credentials before the people of New Jersey to serve as their new Governor. The people of New Jersey deserve to choose their governor. With respect for Governor Corzine and his public service, I will offer them that choice in this historic year of change, of challenge and of opportunity.
The news was a surprise, even for Andrews, who made headlines - and not a few enemies - with an unexpected primary challenge to Senator Frank Lautenberg, just days after promising the entire NJ Democratic delegation that he would not. The acrimonious nature of the race, including repeated references to the incumbent's age (Lautenberg was 84, Andrews 50) forced Democrats to take sides. Most sided with the eventual winner, Lautenberg, but the process may have further alienated South Jersey Democrats from their counterparts further north. It also damaged Andrews' credibility quotient, with wife Camille Andrews accused of merely keeping his seat warm for him in the event of his failure to capture the nomination from Lautenberg. When he lost, badly, to his elder, he did indeed return to that seat he swore he was done with.
Last year's race was largely seen as Andrews' test-run at a real state-wide campaign this year, but after a crushing defeat by a Senator he had made out to be, well, addled and well past his prime, the conventional wisdom was that he'd learned a lesson, and would live to fight another day.
A day perhaps come rather sooner than is convenient for Corzine. It's a bad time to be an incumbent governor with the economy - state and national - in the shape it's in. And that has been reflected in bad polling news for the Governor.
A trio of state Senators introduced Andrews to the group; Ray Lesniak, Joe Vitale and Bob Smith, who were in turn brought to the microphone by Asm John Wisniewski. Newark Democratic powerbroker Steve Adubato was there but did not speak. SJ Democratic Chairs Beach, Angelini and Perr and Norcross were also not called to the microphone. Today's announcement is seen as another sharp challenge to the balance of power by Norcross.
Barbara Buono, who endorsed Andrews last year, was not there. She is rumored to be on Corzine's shortlist for Lieutenant Governor. Democratic heavy-hitters who endorsed Andrews in '08, but were missing from this morning's announcement, included included Majority Leader Steve Sweeney, and Speaker Joe Roberts. Andrews mentioned both in his remarks, expressing deep respect, and that both had been informed late last night of his intentions.
Andrews' track record over the last year is widely seen as hubris, over-reaching and a notable failure of an ascendant South Jersey politician to capture the Senate seat in the name of the power structure in South Jersey. There was considerable resentment inside the Democratic Party, but particularly inside the Democratic Congressional delegation, with Pascrell and Pallone the most vocal.
Andrews briefly flirted last year with the possibility of leaving politics altogether and going to Goldman Sachs which, ironically, Corzine used to run. But now, the loss of support among his House colleagues - not to mention what Lautenberg may think of him - may be a factor in Andrews' choice to switch playing fields entirely, and compete with an incumbent Governor struggling with a national economy in freefall, a mountain of inherited state debt, and a likely challenger, Chris Christie, who fashions himself a heroic corruption-buster.
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